CUMBERLAND – School Committee members say they may not get everything exactly how it should be with perfect balance in local schools, but they’re aiming for good enough for now as they avoid adversely impacting families.
Committee member Kerry Feather, who had previously indicated great frustration with redistricting consultant TransPar, ultimately decided against ending the district’s relationship with the company, casting the deciding vote.
Feather explained at the Oct. 8 meeting that she’d been “ready to throw in the towel” with TransPar after two substandard redistricting scenarios, but did more research after the previous meeting and learned that they were at the end of their contract and would not be able to get money back. She said she wanted to make an attempt to get their money’s worth and ask for them to present one more option.
District representatives could provide feedback and restrictions for that final option, she said, including not splitting up streets, as was previously done, and not sending students to a school other than the one they’re right near, among others.
Feather later explained to The Local Insider that her goal is to try to alleviate current overages at Garvin (112 percent capacity) and Ashton Elementary (101 percent capacity) Schools this year and commence a strategic planning process for the rest of the necessary redistricting.
While she hasn’t been happy with TransPar, she said, she is hopeful that they will be able to use the rest of the contract (already paid) to have them draw up options based on the feedback received from the community.
“All I’m asking from them is to map out the ideas that we are putting forth,” she said. “Voting to end our relationship with them might have felt really good and validating, but I also am trying to ensure we get at least one piece of collateral from them that is a palatable option for the town.”
School Committee member Andrew Bacon expressed repeated frustration that they would continue on with TransPar, saying the company failed twice to come up with thoughtful plans. He said it’s time for the community to come together and take a deeper look at redistricting, and for the committee to do its job to get it done.
Bacon said he doesn’t understand how the committee could unanimously vote that they didn’t want to continue having TransPar try to come up with a plan, after hearing an “astounding outcry” from families, yet reverse the vote at the next meeting. He said he doesn’t understand the point when they “gave us nothing.”
Jason Dean seconded Bacon’s motion to terminate the contract, but they and Keri Smith were outvoted 4-3.
Smith said she appreciates getting their money’s worth, but she can’t make heads or tails of how the company came up with its first two recommendations. They failed at those first two options, she said.
Feather responded that she asked if they would be charged for one more option, and was told that they would not.
Dean said he was on the TransPar wagon, and now doesn’t know whether to lay some or all of the blame on the company. He said he doesn’t know what the company was told on constraints or other factors. He said he does know they’ve wasted $80,000 on the effort, and he doesn’t want to waste more money.
According to officials, $76,000 of the $79,000 to be paid to TransPar had already been expended.
Chairperson Amy Vogel said she understands the desire to move on, but they’re not getting any of the money back, and she can’t see the issue of getting one more option done for the money expended instead of putting the entire burden on the central office.
Supt. Phil Thornton said if they’re going to get another option, they should give TransPar very clear parameters.
At the start of the discussion, Town Council President Mike Kinch had asked the school board to take a step back and put off redistricting for one year. He said he was speaking as an at-large councilor, not as council president. Until there’s a clear picture of enrollment at B.F. Norton Elementary School and hopefully a plan that redistricts the fewest number of students possible, the district should wait, said Kinch. Redistricting should be a very last resort due to the potential stress for families and lost connections with schools, he said, and he’s hoping for a pause to spare families until there’s a clear direction for where they’re going.
School board member Heather Chea called out the poor behavior at previous meetings, saying people who testify before the committee deserve to do so without being mocked, and she was bothered by the poor behavior displayed by various speakers, including in heckling local educators.
Feather said the time has come for another strategic plan that includes all stakeholders. She noted the $41 million lost to Blackstone Valley Prep over the years, saying that money could pay for an awful lot for the district.
Bacon said there’s been tremendous community engagement on the redistricting topic, calling for suspending the effort for a year to carry out due diligence. There are multiple other scenarios that could work, he said, and it shouldn’t be rushed.
Smith agreed that the process should be a community effort, and the only way to move forward is to suspend it for a year. She said voting not to cancel TransPar would likely lead to a packed auditorium next time.
Member Lisa Goldstein said there absolutely needs to be a redistricting plan in place for the coming school year, based on the number of students in certain schools, and there are kindergartners who are supposed to be going to Garvin who are being bused to other schools, but she sees a path to a slower transition.
Smith said committee members have done this to themselves with a process that didn’t adequately engage families, and now they must manage the consequences. Doing redistricting the right and lasting way is too much to do in a short amount of time, she said. No one wants classroom overages, she said, but they have to work with what they have after this failure.
Feather said she believes they can alleviate the issues at the two schools without doing a large-scale redistricting for now.
Goldstein said the goal should be to address the situation at the two elementary schools and at North Cumberland Middle School this year. She said she doesn’t think the new B.F. Norton should be more than 500 students, as the school is in the mid-300s now and a huge influx of students can create a significant culture shift for a school, as it did at Community School. She said the whole town doesn’t need to be retooled, and anything done this year should be thoughtful and supportive.
Smith said last year’s redistricting effort was very concentrated within certain neighborhoods and was about how to best move students. Her issue, she said, has always been about how areas of District 3 were targeted instead of other neighborhoods that make more sense. She said they can’t take anything from either option A or B presented by TransPar.
Bacon said last week’s vote did nothing but kick the can down the road. Dean agreed, saying they never even got a full option B. He joked that if someone pays him $80,000, he can come up with a couple of ideas of his own.
Vogel suggested that members share their ideas with Thornton, who can then present them to TransPar. Thornton said they should give him any parameters now.
Officials were in general agreement that Route 295 should be the dividing line for the two middle schools, that Garvin and B.F. Norton will be the feeder schools for McCourt Middle School and Cumberland Hill and Community will be the feeder for North Cumberland Middle, and Ashton graduates would be split.
Smith told the audience that committee members are doing their best to get student populations right amid continued growth and facility upgrades, and no one on the stage is doing anything malicious or trying to keep anything hidden for ulterior motives.
